Sunset's Whisper
by Jibril's Avatar
Summary: As a relief medic in Suna, Sakura was going to have to see him, report to him, maybe even teach him. As Kazekage, he had to be careful not to get too close, before they hurt each other...again. GaaSaku, NejiSaku.
1. Departure

SUNSET'S WHISPER

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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Reminisce

"_You want me to give it up"? he hissed into her face. His ringed eyes were blazing, and for the first time in a long while, she was afraid of him. Every pore of his body radiated fury and contempt. "Give up my dream, my __ambition__, just for _you"? There was a hissing noise in her ear and suddenly, she was aware of thousands of minute particles swirling madly around them, tiny stinging pinpricks against her unprotected arms, legs and her moist face. And in that minute, she was confused.

"_I stand by what I said", she said, pleased with how calmly her voice came out. _This_ time, she would not beg.  
_

_He appeared to expect that however, as he didn't hesitate. "Very well then". In a gesture heartbreakingly familiar to her, he walked away without a backward glance._

xxxxx_  
_

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1. Departure

_Why would people _choose_ to live out here?_

The sweltering heat of the desert didn't suit Haruno Sakura at all. Despite the protective clothing she'd worn, her delicate skin burned and flaked, and the hand she wiped across her forehead came away dripping in sweat. The fact that they were already two days late thanks to a sudden windstorm and a decided lack of sleep only added to her fatigue and irritation.

"Damn Ibiki to hell", she mumbled to herself, wincing at her chapped lips. He'd really known how to punish her, hadn't he? True, Tsunade had informed her that Ibiki or no Ibiki, as one of the top medical apprentices in Konoha, she'd have been trudging across this godforsaken desert anyway. As part of the newly implemented Konoha-Suna Training Scheme, shinobi from both villages were being exchanged to improve or learn new skills in areas such as alchemy, weapon use, chakra control and in Sakura's case, healing and medicine. However, Sakura couldn't help but feel that she'd been given less choice in the matter, compared to the other shinobi in the little troupe.

"_I guess it's partly my fault_, she mused as she bent down to clear her sandals of grainy sand. _I was pretty rude to him after all, and I really shouldn't have said what I did about his brother…" _Straightening, Sakura nearly stepped on a thorn, and was forced to perform a little hopping dance to avoid it. She cursed aloud, arms waving madly as she struggled to keep her balance on the shifting sand.

A large hand pressed firmly against her middle back managed to prevent any further humiliation, and Sakura turned and smiled gratefully at Hyuuga Neji, prodigy of the Hyuuga clan, jounin elite, and leader of the small Konoha party 'starting off' in Suna. She was guiltily pleased to notice that the desert hadn't been kind to Neji either – his normally flawless face was flushed from exertion, and his hair was a gritty rat's nest. The sight of her normally staid and controlled friend appearing so disgruntled cheered her immediately.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Neji's mouth quirked upwards slightly in a rueful smile.

"I doubt we resemble our identification photos in the least".

"No". Sakura smiled back, reaching out in a feeble attempt to draw Neji's hair back under his forehead protector. All she succeeded in doing was releasing more strands, which flew immediately into her face. She laughed with some exasperation, and decided that as she'd paused, she might as well re-hydrate in the process. Coming up beside them, Tenten, Rock Lee and Aburame Shino also stopped and uncorked their water skins.

"The flame of youth burns bright"! Lee announced, somehow finding the energy to do a Nice Guy pose, blinding teeth and all.

"How much longer"? Tenten panted, greedily swallowing the precious liquid, careful not to miss a drop. "God, I can't _wait_ to have a bath".

"Taking into account our delay", Neji responded. "I'm guessing we can be there before sunset. Unless another storm occurs, we shouldn't have to spend another night out here".

"I certainly hope not", Tenten murmured, shuddering even in the heat. Sakura privately agreed; they'd all near-frozen for the last three nights they'd spent in the desert, and during the night of the windstorm, only Shino's bugs had alerted the party that they'd camped extremely closely to a nest of deadly scorpions, which had resulted in tramping through blindingly violent winds to take refuge at a safer site. Sighing, she re-corked her bottle and nudged it firmly into the darkest part of her backpack.

"Let's just go", she muttered. "I want the next few months to be over already, then we can go home".

Neji agreed, and they set off again. Hoisting her pack to her shoulders, Tenten gave Sakura an enquiring look.

"Aren't you looking forward to Suna, Sakura"? she asked, a note of curiosity in her voice. Sakura snorted.

"Looking forward to training a bunch of snotty-nosed graduate medics who can't tell a vein from an artery? Not likely".

"You know that's not what I mean", Tenten responded. She cast Sakura a cheeky look. "Gaara's Kazekage after all; don't you want to see him"?

Of course. Tenten was referring to the three years the Gaara and his siblings had stayed in Konoha when they'd been fifteen, exiled in a way, from their home village as the ultimate 'peace offering' to Konoha. "_Peace offering my ass_, Sakura thought sourly. _They couldn't wait for an excuse to get rid of him, and everyone knew it"_.

To her own surprise however, Sakura had developed an especially close relationship with a certain rusty-haired ninja known as the deadliest and most remorseless killer of their generation. A ninja now known as the twenty-year old Kazekage of the Sand, whose reputation itself was enough to cause even the wealthiest and most aggressive Kages to hesitate to offend Suna. Even though she'd known he would have to return eventually, Sakura had firmly believed they'd developed an unshakeable bond, once which would last for an eternity.

And then her own selfishness had ruined it all. As a result, she hadn't seen or spoken to him in two whole years.

"I suppose", Sakura replied after a brief pause, keeping her voice as neutral as she could manage. Beside her however, Tenten raised an eyebrow; her sharp eyes and ears hadn't missed the slight hesitation.

"Lover's quarrel"? she asked playfully.

"It was nothing like that"! Sakura retorted. "We were friends - it's just that– well", she faltered slightly, meeting Tenten's sympathetic eyes. "We didn't part on the best terms that's all", she finished lamely, feeling her shoulders sagging as the memories surfaced, and the full implications of spending a few months in Suna suddenly materialized in her mind. She was going to have to_ see_ him. _Report_ to him. Train and grade Suna ninjas under _his _supervision, maybe even _teach_ him some of the medical techniques she'd prepared. He'd probably never forgiven her, and never would, she panicked. Because in the end, hadn't she let him down, exactly what he'd feared the people he came to care for would do?

Sakura felt a pricking in her eyes, and wondered how she could possibly explain to Tenten how much she both dreaded and looked forward to arriving at Suna. Every time she allowed herself to speculate, the mixture of emotions almost overwhelmed her; sadness, fear, anticipation, and tightly beneath it all, a desperate yearning to see him, touch him, and possibly regain some of what had been lost.

"He probably hates me", she whispered. _It was all my fault. Damn, why couldn't Naruto have come with us right now?_ Her blond friend with the sapphire eyes and wide grin was the sunshine of her life, and had always by his mere presence, managed to make things look brighter.

"Then it's just as well that you'll have a chance to work things out", Neji's smooth voice from in front of her suddenly spoke up. If she hadn't been so sunk into gloom, Sakura would have attempted to send him flying for his blatant eavesdropping. Tenten did it for her instead, flicking the scarf she wore around her mouth to keep out the sand at her captain's neck. Neji evaded it gracefully as always. As he angled his body slightly to the right, Tenten noticed the scowl on his face, quickly hidden. She smiled to herself. Let Gaara treat Sakura badly if he dared!

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you, Sakura", she began kindly, feeling somewhat abashed at having brought on the misery in her fellow kunoichi's eyes. But Neji interrupted her. He was all team leader now, practical and professional.

"I never knew Gaara that well", he said. "Neither did Tenten or Shino here. Even Lee wasn't as...close to him as you were". He waved a hand over the small party. "It will be in all our interests that you repair that friendship as soon as you can". He ignored Tenten's frown of reprimand, watching Sakura sternly. When it didn't appear as if she would protest or become distressed at his insensitivity, he went on. "This way, it will be easier for you to act as an intermediary between us and the Kazekage, to approach him with problems, and offer new ideas and suggestions to improve the program. Overall, this will contribute to the success of this mission, for both Konoha and Suna. That is partly why the Hokage requested you on this mission was it not? Answer me, Sakura", he barked when she just stared into space.

Blinking a little at his abrupt tone, Sakura looked onto the ground and nodded. "I know, Neji", she said quietly. "I'll try. I promise". There was an awkward pause for a moment, as the party's reflected weariness and fatigue appeared to suddenly come to a head. Then Shino, who had barely said a word for the last hour, suddenly spoke up.

"My bugs have detected civilization around 30 miles straight ahead". He announced in his quiet voice. "At the very most, we should be at Suna within two hours."

xxxxx

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A.N. Reviews are my poison. They keep me going! 

Also, this story might seem a little familiar to the 20 or so people who read this story aeons ago (I think sometime back in April). I got distracted by both life and my other story 'Manevuers', and haven't updated since, so my deepest apologies! I did a complete re-edit and will hopefully have a second chappie up soon.


	2. Arrival

Reminisce

Him?

_Rock Lee saw the shock on Sakura's face a bare moment before she dropped the ramen bowl she had been happily sipping just a second ago, and he managed to catch it neatly with his left hand without spilling a drop. _

"_Aha"! He thought, internally jubilant. "This surely means that Sakura chan will love me forever"! _

_Because of his preoccupation with his 'triumph' however, Lee didn't see the curtain of the ramen stand fall back down. Nor did he have an inkling as to why the pink-haired object of his worthy adoration had turned pale, and was taking deep breaths as if something had momentarily cut off her access to air._

xxxxx _  
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2. Arrival 

_Not him! Thank God…_

"…sends his apologies that he was unable to welcome you to Suna personally", the guard at the entry to the Sand village was saying as he gave a short bow to Neji. "The Kazekage had an appointment today he was unable to put off, and as your party was behind schedule, not your fault I understand…"

"Of course", Neji's voice was smooth, but he could almost feel the relief emanating from Sakura next to him like a warm cloud. With his considerable perceptiveness however, he also sensed the flare of another emotion – was it disappointment?

The guard cleared his throat. "This way then, if you please. The Kazekage has ordered nothing less than the best possible accommodation to welcome you to your new home"

**xxxxx**

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"_New home huh", _Sakura thought to herself as she rinsed off three day's worth of desert-accumulated sweat and filth, and toweled herself dry. _"He made it sound like we're going to be here longer than just a few months."_

Immediately, she felt a twinge of guilt. _"Come off it"_, she told herself sternly. _"As the Hokage's prized apprentice, it's your duty to give Suna all you've got in terms of medical training and techniques, no matter how long it takes"_. Nevertheless, that momentary relief...

"_What are you going to do, hope he stays away forever"?_ she scolded herself, as a glance at the window told her that at least an hour had gone by while she had luxuriated in the bath. As the unofficial leaders of the Konoha team, she and Neji had been invited to dinner with the elders, both as a welcome to the village and an informal meeting about the variety of skills each member would bring to Suna. Her teammates should all be rested by now, and Neji would be appearing to head out with her any time.

Stepping lightly onto the porch of the small but comfortable units Suna had obviously been repainted recently for their benefit, Sakura heard clattering noises from Tenten's room and a muffled curse from Lee's. She grinned, and wondered briefly if she was dressed correctly for the occasion – she had only brought clothing she'd decided would be practical for the desert, and for hospitals; none were particularly ceremonial or formal. Neji would know with one look, she thought ruefully. A small grin tugged at her mouth as she tried to imagine how he would tell her she looked awful while remaining as correct and as courteous as he normally tried to be. The smile faded slightly as she remembered the Hyuuga's stern words to her that morning. "Repair that relationship as soon as you can..."

Lost in her thoughts, Sakura didn't notice the dark figure, crouched on the roof of the flat house detach itself in a graceful movement to land precisely behind the kunoichi, with barely a sound to announce its presence. All Sakura had time to feel was a strong arm wrapping around her waist, which effectively restricted her ability to straighten properly, and another hand at her mouth, stopping any scream or sound of protest.

"Just the medical nin I wanted to see", drawled a low voice, sand roughened and achingly familiar.

**xxxxx**

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If her assaulter had hoped for struggling or alarm from his fragile looking victim, he was in for a disappointment. Instead, the pink haired kunoichi muttered something about being unable to breath, then proceeded to sag and pass out. He snorted. 

"Nice try, Haruno"

Sakura opened her eyes, and grinned.

"I seem to remember…" she mused, seemingly to herself, "someone almost pissing himself in fright when I tried that trick on him the first time".

"And you thought I'd fall for it again"? Her attacker demanded with mock offense. "Come and face me in a _real_ fight kunoichi, and we'll see who comes out on top!"

"_Fight_ you"? Sakura scoffed, no longer able to restrain the laughter bubbling in her throat. "I'm not going to fight with someone not_man_ enough to assault an innocent girl on his own"!

The man laughed, and the arms around her waist and mouth abruptly withdrew with an audible mechanical sound. Sakura promptly turned and flung herself into the arms of Kankurou of the Sand, who had withdrawn his puppet and was now stepping forward with a massive grin on his painted face, making him look positively feral.

"I couldn't be sure that you wouldn't throw me against a wall" Kankurou explained sheepishly. "So I thought I'd try you with Karasu first –we _did_have a windstorm recently you see, and we really couldn't afford to damage any more buildings…"

Laughing, Sakura pushed him away. "You smell", she informed him, wrinkling her nose and jabbing him gently in the chest.

Kankurou winked. "Oh? Well you're a medic nin. Why don't you give me a good sponge ba – ouch"! He leapt back, narrowly missing a second jab which would have sent him flying.

"Ungrateful", he murmured, clapping a hand to his heart in feigned sorrow. "I come straight from my mission to see you, and this is the welcome I get".

Sakura hugged him again, ignoring his mock wince and gasp for breath. "I'm waiting for Neji", she told him. "We're supposed to be dining with your village elders, because Gaa – er…that is…your brother -" Again, reality seemed to hit her unawares. _"I can't really call him 'Gaara-kun' or even Gaara-san anymore can I"?_ And just like that, a wave of nostalgia enveloped her, accompanied by the familiar sense of panic that had plagued her during the entire trip to Suna. _"How can I even look him in the eye"?_

"With your history, you know he'd smother you with sand if you dared call him 'Kazekage-sama', right"? Kankurou asked pleasantly, seemingly oblivious to her confusion. "Well, in private anyway. And what's with that look?"

Sakura quickly tried to smooth out the pained expression that had crept onto her face and shrugged. "It's nothing", she said, flashing her best Naruto-version beam at Kankurou. "I thought I'd be seeing – I'm just really glad to you. I couldn't wait to see _all_ of you again, that's all". She was pleased at how glib and cheery her voice sounded to her ears.

Kankurou wasn't fooled however. For all the genuine gladness with which she'd greeted him, he could sense the underlying nervousness and stress the kunoichi was under. And it had nothing to do with her capability to perform her mission competently either - a certain person in his immediate family had been emanating the same emotions for the last few weeks. "Hey", he said to Sakura gently. "Don't be too disappointed ok? You guys were behind schedule and Gaara _did_ have time planned to welcome you here properly. If you must know, he threatened to kill me around eight times in an hour when you guys didn't arrive on time. That usually only happens when he's nervous, or looking forward to something". They both chuckled lightly, though Sakura's smile quickly faltered.

"Even me, after what –

"_Yes,_including you", Kankurou said firmly. He tilted her face up towards him, and Sakura had an uneasy recollection of Neji's stern eyes looking down on her earlier that morning. Then the puppet-master grinned and cheekily tickled her nose with his finger, prompting her laugh a little and slap at his wrist. She lowered her eyes onto the ground. "It was my fault", she said quietly. Kankurou sighed.

"Just talk to him, ok"? He said. "You guys have things to sort out, and I know he's always wanted to talk to you. He won't bite, I promise", he added, a gleam in his eye. "If he does, he'll answer to me. And Temari too. She's become quite an expert at slicing through his sand with that rusted piece of metal she calls a fan".

Sakura smiled at the mental image that produced, and nodded. "Ok". To her right a door opened, silhouetting for a moment the tall figure of Neji.

"Good girl", Kankurou slapped open a scroll from his back, and Karasu vanished in a puff of smoke. "Well, I better get going. Take a shower for your pleasure and all. Don't be too intimidated by those old farts Suna calls elders; most of them still think the third Kazekage's around, and can only ape _what was done then_. I'll see you around in the village soon"? Sakura smiled and nodded, as he strode forwards and acknowledged Neji. The two of them conversed politely in brief murmurs, then Kankurou was off, winking and waving back at Sakura.

"_There you are Neji, I'm beginning to "build bridges" again"_, Sakura thought, surprised at the slight bitterness the thought elicited as Neji joined her on the porch, both watching Kankurou thread his way through the empty streets of the village. Her resentment faded and turned to concern however, when she saw the weariness in his Neji's face; he clearly hadn't rested as most of them had upon reaching their huts. Tsking, she reached up and smoothed away a frown line on his forehead, and smiled when he made an effort to relax his features.

"Ready to go"? Neji asked lightly. Sakura nodded, and they stepped out into the unfamiliar streets of a village that would be their home for the next half year.

**xxxxx**

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A.N. Reviews are a great motivation! Thanks to those who've reviewed so far, I love you guys. And setting the scene took forever; Gaara will appear in the next chapter, I promise! 


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